Wisconsin beats No. 3 Michigan 65-62 in overtime

Wisconsin's Ben Brust, top, celebrates after hitting a 3-point shot in the final second of regulation against Michigan on Saturday, Feb. 9, 2013, in Madison, Wis. Wisconsin defeated Michigan 65-62 in overtime.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

The Associated Press

Published: Saturday, February 9, 2013 at 5:10 p.m.

Last Modified: Saturday, February 9, 2013 at 5:10 p.m.

MADISON, Wis. — With a three-point lead and less than 3 seconds on the clock at the end of regulation, Michigan coach John Beilein’s plan was to foul.

Wisconsin’s Ben Brust never gave the third-ranked Wolverines the chance.

Brust tied the game with a shot from just inside midcourt as the clock expired and then hit a 3-pointer with less than 40 seconds left in overtime to give Wisconsin a 65-62 victory.

“We had two fouls to give, go foul,” Beilein said. “(Brust) turned the corner on Caris (LeVert), and he couldn’t get it done in time.”

Brust’s shot at the end of regulation was a dramatic turn of events for Wisconsin (17-7, 8-3 Big Ten) and a soul crusher for Michigan (21-3, 8-3) .

Just moments earlier, Tim Hardaway Jr. hit a contested 3-pointer to put the Wolverines up 65-52 with less than 3 seconds left in regulation.

Following a timeout, Mike Bruesewitz passed up his first option in the inbounds play and then hit Brust in stride. The guard took one dribble across halfcourt and launched the shot, which hit nothing but net.

Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan said the play was drawn up to see how Michigan defended the first cutter, Brust read the defense and reacted.

“The best thing was Mike’s pass on the dime on the run, didn’t have to reach back for it, able to catch it all in one motion,” Ryan said.

Michigan still had fouls to give before the shot, and Beilein said the order coming out of the timeout was to foul. He also put LeVert on Brust to bolster the defense.

It was then time for Beilein to try rallying the troops.

“You’re always picking them up in overtime, you’re always saying something — even if you’re lying like crazy,” Beilein said. “’Guys, we’ve got them where we want them. We’re in better shape.’ It’s always the idea of what we’re doing.”

For all the fireworks in the final 3 seconds, the teams only managed seven points in overtime, including Brust’s winning 3- pointer.

Following Brust’s shot, Hardaway couldn’t connect on his drive to the hoop on the next Michigan possession, and Glenn Robinson III fouled Jared Berggren on the rebound.

The Wolverines went to a full-court press with two more fouls to give. But the Badgers broke the press, and Michigan had to foul twice more to finally put Ryan Evans on the free throw line.

Evans, who shoots less than 43 percent from the line, missed the front end of a 1-and-1, and Burke couldn’t connect in a rushed final possession for the Wolverines.

It was another grinding win for the Badgers keyed by their defense. Michigan came in as one of the top scoring teams in the country at almost 78 points per game. But Wisconsin held Michigan to less than 40 percent shooting from the field, including 5 of 18 from beyond the 3-point line.

Michigan was 1 for 7 from the field in overtime, and the offensive futility was highlighted by one sequence in which Mitch McGary stole the ball outside the 3-point line and drove the other way only to miss the layup with Berggren defending the rim.

Beilein said the Wolverines missed out on 14 points thanks to missed layups.

“I’m not talking about when they’re really contesting,” Beilein said. “I’m talking about we had the ball, the basket and us, and it didn’t go in.”

Burke scored 19 points to lead Michigan, but needed 21 shots to do it. Hardaway added 18 points, and McGary had 12 points and eight rebounds.

It was the second straight game for both teams to go past regulation after the Badgers beat Iowa 74-70 in double overtime on Wednesday and Michigan downed Ohio State 76-74 in overtime on Tuesday.

The students rushed the court after the final horn ended, and Bruesewitz took over the public address announcer’s microphone to thank the crowd.

Several Wisconsin players said the consecutive overtime games exemplified their will to win even as critics contend they’re not talented enough, not fast enough and, as Bruesewitz said he’s seen on Twitter, not good-looking enough.

“We have a group of guys in that locker room that believe and is going to fight until the end until you tell us we can’t play any more basketball,” Berggren said. “We just find a way to get it done.”

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